


As You Wish

by WarAgainstReality



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Fluff and Angst, M/M, Sabriel - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-21
Updated: 2016-08-21
Packaged: 2018-08-10 01:36:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,473
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7825129
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WarAgainstReality/pseuds/WarAgainstReality
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sabriel centered around canon events. It spans through Tall Tales, Mystery Spot, Changing Channels, and Hammer of the Gods.Sam POV.(Sorry, I suck at summaries.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	As You Wish

Everything bad that had ever happened was washed from my mind by the sound of her beautiful laugh. I found myself smiling without trying. It didn't matter that I had left what little was left of my family behind. For the first time in my life, I was doing what was best for me. I had never felt so alive.

I felt her hand slip into mine as we sat there tucked away in our own private corner. The party raged around us but we hardly noticed. Before I knew what was happening, we were half running back to our apartment. The chill in the air only  
adding to the electrified feeling running through my veins.

She pulled ahead slightly despite my longer legs, and I pushed myself harder desperate to keep up. The gap continued to widen until she was just a distant pale figure lighting up the darkness. I ran through our front door. I searched room after room. She was nowhere.

I dissolved into panic. Every one of my bad memories flashed before my eyes. Monsters were real. She could be in serious trouble because of my family's business. I ran faster.

"Jess! Jess, where are you?" I called trying to hide my building panic.

I knew something was wrong but couldn't place it. At least not until I felt the hot liquid drip onto my cheek. I saw her engulfed in flames and bleeding as she hung suspended from the ceiling. Her face was contorted in agony.

"You did this," she howled. "It's because of you."

She was dead and the apartment was full of smoke. Flames licked every surface but I didn't move. I couldn't move. I wouldn't even if I could. I did this. I killed her. Burning was my pennance.

"Sam. Sammy," I heard Dean call from far off. "Wake up, man. You're having a nightmare. Everything's okay. It's just a bad dream."

I opened my eyes in a crappy motel room. Dean had a tight grip on my shoulders like he'd been shaking me. Despite what he said, it wasn't just a nightmare. I knew the truth: Jessica Moore was dead because of me and I can't fix that. I ran away from my destiny and people got hurt.  
..................................................  
It was the same old dream. It had to be this case. I hadn't spent so much time on a college campus since Stanford. The hotel was only a few blocks away. Dean had been amused at the stupid name, Kings Lair. I just wanted to get the hell out of this place...the memories were bad enough without Dean being even more of a child than usual. It made my head throb.

He was so immature. Not only did he get my laptop frozen on his favorite porn site then steal it, he also had the audacity to accuse me of letting the air out of his tires before trying to steal my money for "reparations" for "emotional trauma". He was being so difficult that I actually had to call Bobby in just to have a voice of reason to bounce ideas off of. It's not like I could use my laptop for research and this bastard was completely alluding us.

"I'm surprised at you two. I really am," Bobby sighed. "Sam, first off, Dean did not steal your computer."

"But I – " I started before Bobby cut me off holding out a hand. "Shh, shh, shh, shh! And, Dean, Sam did not touch your car. "

"Yeah!"

"And if you two bothered to pull your heads outta your asses, it all would have been pretty clear," Bobby grumbled. "You got a trickster on your hands."

My mind went into overdrive as Bobby explained just what these things do and how well they blend in. There was only one person at ground zero of the alien abduction, alligator mauling, and the ghost induced suicide. In those snooty t.v. shows Jess made me watch every Tuesday night, it's always the butler. The answer was the everyday equivalent: the janitor.

"I hate costumes. Do I really have to wear this?" Dean groaned as he pulled the Ohio Connect DSL electrician jacket over his t-shirt and jeans.

"Only if you don't want to be killed by a pagan with a thing for the Weekly World News," I sighed. "Look, let's just get this over with. Okay?"  
...........................................  
"We just need to check a couple offices up on three," I heard Dean say to the janitor as I made up an excuse to slip out and look for evidence.

I mentally planned our fake argument as I watched the janitor watch us from above with my peripheral vision. There was a strange rush in my veins. Power, anger, or just pure adrenaline, I don't know. Stuck in front of Crawford Hall, I felt invincible. The worst thing that could happen to me on a college campus already had. Now I have the power.

That night we enacted our plan. Dean "snuck" in gaining the trickster's attention while I followed a few minutes behind and Bobby took yet another route. 

"Come on! Those people got what was coming to them. Hoisted on their own petards. But you and Sam – I like you. I do," the trickster smiled devilishly. "So treat yourself... Long as you want. Just long enough for me to move on to the next town."

"Yeah, I don't think I can let you do that," Dean tried to look anywhere but at the scantily clad women seductively reaching for him.

"I don't wanna hurt you. And you know that I can," the trickster's smile turned a little more sinister.

"But I, uh, can't let you go."

"Too bad. Like I said, I like you. Sam was right. You shouldn't've come alone" Dean barely gave him a chance to finish. "I couldn't agree more."

Bobby and I fought off the chainsaw psycho that suddenly appeared while Dean grappled with the women. The trickster lounged and ate a sandwich amused by the show. He cheered at every hit. Then, as suddenly as it started, it was over. Dean was grinding the stake through the trickster's heart and we were finally leaving this godforsaken college town.

I could swear I saw a figure in a white silk nightgown in the rearview mirror. Her blonde curls blew slightly in the evening air. Her face was, unlike my nightmares, gentle and full of peace; maybe there was even a hint of acceptance. I watched her fade slowly into the night on the college campus.

"Goodbye, Jess," I murmured in a voice barely above a whisper that was quickly swallowed by the classic rock shaking the impala's frame. "I'm so sorry."

I drifted off in the passenger seat. I had the strangest dream. The trickster was there but he didn't attack. He didn't laugh or mock me. He just smiled sadly all mischievousness drained from his face. 

"I know loss, trust me," the trickster murmured and snapped his fingers making Jess appear. "No one can help me, but I can help you even if it is only for tonight. Say your goodbyes. The right way this time. I'll leave you two alone."  
........................................  
Time moved in disjointed chunks and lurches in a way that could only mean I was dreaming. As soon as I saw her face, I flinched back trying to force myself to wake up. 

"I don't understand. I already gave my statement," Madison's face was full of an innocence only ignorance can give.

My vision blurred as she faded away. The bodies, her smiling face when we watched the soap opera, her tears when I was forced to tie her up all flashed in front of my eyes.

"It’s not an act! I am not a werewolf! There’s no such thing! It’s made up, all right? Th– They’re not real! You know they’re not real," her crying voice transformed into a growl as she morphed into the beast and back again. "Sam, I don’t wanna hurt anyone else. I don’t wanna hurt you. I'm a monster."

"She’s a sweet girl, but part of her is—" Dean started and my own voice interrupted. "Evil?"

"Yeah."

"Yeah, that’s what they say about me, Dean! So me you won’t kill, but her you’re just gonna blow away?" 

I could feel the weight of the gun in my hand and Dean's hand on my shoulder urging me to pass the burden on. I gripped the gun so tightly my fingers turned white...and then it was all gone. The whole world went white except for a single figure.

"We've talked about this," the trickster sighed around the sucker in his mouth. "This is my new happy place...meaning cut with all the depressing crap. What do you say? Beach, library, or creatures of lore in their natural habitats? Make a decision, Sam, I don't have all night."

"When did my dreams get so weird?" I muttered trying to get centered after the emotional rollercoaster. What would calm me down after that? I picked the only thing not related to Madison's bloody end. "Beach. I never really had a chance to visit."

"It's very calming if you ignore all the hot half dressed people," the trickster waggled his eyebrows. "Speaking of."

Suddenly we were on a beach and I was wearing nothing but a pair of board shorts. The beach was empty except the two of us. The water shone a thousand shades of yellow, orange, and red as the setting sun dipped below the horizon.

"Wow. It's really something," I smiled lightly. "What, I have to wear a swimsuit but the figment of my imagination doesn't?"

"Fine," the trickster smirked. "If you want to see me half naked that badly, who am I to stand in the way of that dream?"

The rest of the night was spent relaxing on the beach, chasing each other through the upcoming tide, and splashing saltwater like a bunch of children. All thoughts of my nightmare disappeared. Just like every night my imaginary trickster came to visit.  
...........................................  
"Heat of the moment," the radio sang jarring me awake.

Dean was already awake and in an abnormally good mood other than being pissed at the whole Bela debacle. He couldn't go two minutes without some little joke or prod at me. We headed to breakfast before starting on the case. It was a missing person case at a mystery spot in Broward, Florida.

"Hey. Tuesday. Pig in a poke!"

"You even know what that is?" I muttered under my breath knowing exactly what it meant. He might as well play the lottery.

We ate our breakfast and bided our time until nightfall. Under the cover of night, we broke into the mystery spot for a better look. I pulled out an EMF reader while the two of us searched. Our thoughts and minor bickering were only interrupted when a voice spoke up.

"What the hell are you doing here?" The man pointed his gun at my chest then Dean's. "You robbing me? "

Dean was only trying to put his gun down. It didn't matter. Next thing I knew, Dean was bleeding out under the neon glow-in-the-dark paint swirls while the owner panicked. His breathing was labored as I rushed over to him and then it stopped completely. My brother was dead. 

"Heat of the moment," the radio woke me again.

It didn't take long to realize that something was seriously wrong. The day was exactly the same. I tried to save Dean but he was mowed over by a car instead. It kept happening every day. Death by desk, sausage, shower, taco, electric razor, and axe. I got more and more desperate as time continued not to pass and the body count increased... and now death by dog.

Day after day, I proved it all to Dean. I tried to change it but nothing worked. I knew every detail of this day like the back of my hand. That's why the strawberry syrup stuck out. I had an epiphany at that moment as the man walked past the diner window. It was confirmed by the chorus of "Heat of the Moment" blaring behind my suddenly closed lids.

I didn't waste any time in following the man from the diner that morning, slamming him into a fence, and forcing a wooden stake to his throat. I spoke between his pathetic pleas for his life and denials.

"I know what you are. It took me a hell of a long time but I got it. It's your MO that gave you away. Going after pompous jerks, giving them their just desserts—your kind loves that, don't they? Don't lie to me! I know what you are! We've killed one of your kind before!"

"Actually, bucko, you didn't," the man transformed into the trickster from before. "Careful. You don't want to impale your dream catcher, Sammy. Then who'll keep all those nasty nightmares away? We both know Dean stopped cutting it around puberty."

My grip loosened slightly as I was consumed by shock, "Why are you doing this? "

"You're joking, right? You chuckleheads tried to kill me last time. Why wouldn't I do this?"

I swallowed audibly as I thought of all those nights. It was him. He said as much. Why would this trickster break inside my head, stop my nightmares, comfort me, and then make one of my nightmares into a reality? In my dreams, the trickster had been guarded and hid his good intentions but he was always kind. It must have just been a means to an end.

"And Hasselback, what about him?" Dean interrupted my thoughts.

"That putz? He said he didn't believe in wormholes, so I dropped him in one, " he laughed. "Then you guys showed up. I made you the second you hit town."

"So this is fun for you? Killing Dean over and over again?" I hissed letting all of my pent up pain and frustration break free.

"One, yes. It is fun. And two? This is so not about killing Dean. This joke is on you, Sam," the trickster avoided my eyes but kept a smug grin plastered across his face. "Watching your brother die, every day? Forever? "How long will it take you to realize? You can't save your brother. No matter what."

"Oh yeah? I kill you, this all ends now."

Before I could make a move he was backpedaling and I was waking up to a Wednesday morning.  
........................................  
Everything was fine...or it should have been. We were packing up to leave when I heard the gunshot. I ran out to see Dean bleeding out on the pavement. 

"No, no, no no no, hey, hey, come on, not today, not today, this isn't supposed to happen today, come on—" I cried clutching the quickly cooling body of my brother. 

I closed my eyes and waited. I opened them expecting to see Dean acting like a twelve year old in our crappy hotel room like every other morning. Instead, all I see is his corpse lying in a puddle of blood at my feet.

"I'm supposed to wake up."

I spent six months on the road. I chased down every lead with single minded focus. I only stopped to take the occasional hunt between leads. I cut off contact with the outside world. I wouldn't stop until I had my brother back. I ignored Bobby's constant calls until the day he said the words I'd been dying to hear. "I found him."

"Then why'd you bring me here?" I hissed as Bobby denied me the only way to get the trickster, and by proxy my brother, back.

Why? Because it was the only way you'd see me! Because I'm trying to knock some sense into you," Bobby yelled. "Because I thought you'd back down from killing a man!"

"Well, you thought wrong. Leave the stuff, I'll do it myself."

We argued back and forth until Bobby finally demanded he be used as the sacrifice. His reasons were logical and selfsacrificing but something was off. Bobby would have stopped me. He wouldn't compromise like this.

"Yeah, okay, Bobby. But you wanna know why?" I pulled a stake from my shirt and shoved it through his back into his heart. "Because you're not Bobby."

Bobby layed there bleeding for a moment before dissolving into nothing. The trickster appeared and pulled out some witty banner but didn't look me in the eye. He was ready for my demand and started to automatically shut me down before I blurted out the right words.

"Just take us back to that Tuesday—er, Wednesday—when it all started. Please. We won't come after you, I swear. I know you can."

"True. But that don't mean I should. Sam, there's a lesson here that I've been trying to drill into that freakish Cro-Magnon skull of yours."

"Lesson? What lesson?" I cried anger melting into desperation and confusion.

"This obsession to save Dean? The way you two keep sacrificing yourselves for each other? Nothing good comes out of it. Just blood and pain. Dean's your weakness. And the bad guys know it, too. It's gonna be the death of you, Sam. Sometimes you just gotta let people go."

"He's my brother," I whispered and his eyes clouded over at the very word.

"Don't blame me when you kill each other," he growled and reached to snap his fingers but I caught him before the motion was finished.

"What do you mean?" Look at me," I hissed. "What do you know?"

"I tried to help you. All of you. Remember that. I gave you an out," his eyes met mine filled with a kind of fierce grief and rage I had only seen in the mirror. His was magnified a thousand fold. "You would have been blameless. We would have been safe. Now both of our brothers have to die. Goodbye, Sam. For all our sake, I hope you learn your lesson before it's too late."

He snapped his fingers and I was waking up on Wednesday in a crappy hotel. The first thing I did was run and hug my brother. My mind spun as reality settled. Dean was alive. The trickster might have actually been trying to help me. What was he trying to stop? It was too much to process.

"Hey, you don't look so good. Something else happen?" Dean looked concerned.

"I just had a really weird dream," I tried to shake it all off and focus on the present.

"Clowns or midgets?" Dean smirked and I smiled slightly. We'd figure it out. We always do.  
.........................................  
I should have expected this after last time. Only in my screwed up life does the Lou Ferrigno incarnation of the Incredible Hulk ripping a wife beater's head off lead to literal imprisonment inside of a bad medical soap opera. Well, Dean was happy to be living his fangirl dream. Plus, after our last conversation and current events, I was ready to talk the trickster onto our side despite Dean's qualms. He did claim he was trying to help.

"You guys are getting better!" The trickster grinned as his face morphed through Doctor Sexy's.

Everyone but the three of us froze. The trickster easily slipped out of Dean's grip. Dean went to rush him again but froze mid stride while the Trickster smirked smugly.

"You think he'd learn by now," he said in a comic aside. "Let me guess, the next trick was the good ole stake to the heart. Hm, third time's the charm?"

He chuckled lightly to himself as he rearranged Dean to look like he was picking his nose. The trickster pulled me aside and, with a snap of his fingers, another me appeared. He did a few loops around to examine his work then leaned against the wall.

"Ready to ditch the stiff and have that heart to heart or do you want to stand there looking better than any lawyer want-to-be has a right to in a lab coat? He won't even know the difference," he waggled his eyebrows at me and held out a hand.

"Then you'll tell me what's really going on?" I hedged reaching towards him.

His grin widened deeper than the Cheshire cat's as he grabbed my hand and pulled me closer, "Don't think I'll be that easy. I'm not a loose woman. You want answers you're gonna have to earn them, Sasquatch."  
.............................................  
The world around me went white. Before my eyes could adjust to the brightness, the landscape changed into woods. I could hear the steady sound of hooves as a woman in a magnificent red dress rode past. Her eyes were glazed over as if she were in a trance. I was about to turn away when she turned and her face morphed into a more familiar one.

"Oh, Wesley, save me," the trickster spoke with her voice and dramatically put a hand to his forehead. His voice slowly faded into his own. "That is if you want your answers. Get a move on, bucko, or dear ole Buttercup will die with your answers."

"At least it's a cult classic," I sighed then flinched slightly as the fabric on the mask I hadn't noticed tightened slightly around my eyes. "Knowing him it could have been a porno."

'Buttercup' was barely in view when the figures appeared. I ran for a nearby boat as the men dragged her onto their vessel. They had a good lead. I was surprised that I knew how to sail but just let it go. Obviously the trickster wanted me to sail so I could. It was that simple. His little plan wouldn't work otherwise. I had a feeling this was going to go on for a while.

Hours later, I was climbing after the largest man I'd ever seen as he carried the other three up a colossal cliff. He looked like a modern day Goliath and the cliffs dwarfed him. I was just a few feet from the top when I felt the world fall out from under me. The supporting rope was cut. I barely caught the edge of an outcropping as I panted and sweat made my palms slick. I had the nasty feeling that dying here would be just as real as the outside world.

Soon after, I was catching my breath beside a Spaniard who wished to battle to the death. I remembered always feeling sorry for the guy when I watched with Jess. He had a tough life. He was mid sentence about his tragedy when he cut himself off.

"Plot plot plot," the trickster sighed. "Who needs it? It's time for some action."

He pulled out his sword and I went for mine. We matched each other move for move as he chuckled to himself. Every time I thought I had him, he came back with even more vigor.

"Tell me what you are," I slashed at him and nearly hit. He switched hands and picked up his speed. "You're not a trickster. It doesn't fit and the stakes don't work. Who and what are you? I need to know."

"Get used to disappointment," he quoted with a grin. "This is child's play...actually that would have been an interesting choice but I'm getting off topic. If you want answers you have to earn them."

With that he was gone again. I concentrated on my fight and quickly took down Inigo. The giant was next. The trickster smiled and taunted me from this character but offered no answers. The battle was easy. I headed off to the last battle knowing that each step put me closer to the truth.

"Let me guess, a battle of wits," the trickster smiled from the table. "Gonna try to test me? If stakes don't work, you should know better than to try the poison gag. I'm not as breakable as your usual partners."

"Then what? Wesley isn't exactly fitted for a hunt," I turned to him with my best bitch face. "If you're changing the rules, you're going to have to make it feasible. It's not much of a game if I don't have a shot."

"Good point. Here's what we'll do. It's more of a battle of wills. Castiel is flying around in here trying to save his precious friends. He can't see you. Make him and you and the most useless princess can run off to stage two."

"If it's a battle of wills, I should know how it works. That's like telling a bee to tapdance. I need something."

"Use your brain," he snickered. "Literally. You'll get it, Stanford."  
........................................  
I found that the table wasn't loaded with food and wine. It was filled with cleverly disguised ingredients. I was assembling a spell before my brain had even caught up. The summoning spell was relatively simple and I accompanied it with a prayer screamed in my head so loudly I was giving myself a headache. Castiel had barely appeared before the trickster threw him out again.

"Congratulations, you made a hole in my illusion," the trickster got up from the table and pulled Buttercup along. "Along with this dead weight, you get one answer. Don't try to use the big reveal either. That's an end kind of thing."

"What's your name?" His eyes widened in shock. "I keep calling you the trickster but that's not even what you are. I at least deserve to know who I'm dealing with."

"They call me Gabriel," he smirked slightly. "Except the pagans I run with. They think I'm Loki."

"I guess I'll see you soon. Don't get any ideas, Gabriel. I'm going to finish this and you're going to answer the rest of my questions."

"I'm counting on it," Gabriel winked and disappeared into thin air.

I played my part verbatim as I herded Buttercup towards the next stop on my quest. The Fire Swamp was ridiculous and dangerous but I easily avoided the traps and made it through with hardly a scratch...only to be captured and locked away to be tortured. As I felt the life leave my body, I cursed Gabriel for sending me here to die. The next thing I know I'm face to face with him as he asks the question with a twinkle in his eye.

"Hello in there. Whatcha got here that's worth living for?" I stared at him incredulously and he continued in a stage whisper."Your line is 'true love'. Come on, afraid to say you love me? I'm literally the guy of your dreams."

"I didn't even know your name until a few days ago..." he interrupted with a shrug. "Fair but I'm not taking it as a final answer. We'll see. Ask your question."

"Whose side are you on? You said you were trying to help me and that now both our brothers have to die. Explain. What's going on?"

"That's oh so plot relevant so I'll give you the dollar store version for now. I know you opened the Cage and what that means. I was trying to stop you two bozos from saying yes and ripping the world, and each other, to shreds. As for sides, I don't have one. I just want it to be over. Now run along and save the princess. Again. Bet you're glad not to be saddled with her in real life."

I let his answer echo in my head. There was something so personal about it that shook me to the core. A part of me knew exactly why that was but another rejected it. My arguments danced in endless circles while I gave the two men from before orders on how to storm the castle. All we had to do was complete the plot and I would have my answers.

Before I knew it, we were all riding off on white horses and the battle was won. The world froze and Gabriel appeared a few feet away. He opened his mouth but I beat him to it.

"You're an angel aren't you? The archangel Gabriel?"

"Gabe's fine," he smiled tensely. "But that's me. I couldn't stand the fighting so I left. Father was already gone so what was the point? My brothers are going to tear each other apart because you two couldn't leave well enough alone and you're both going to be along for the ride. Is that what you wanted to know? I became someone else and left because I couldn't stand to watch my brothers kill each other?! Congratulations."

"I'm sorry..." I murmured. "I know it's my fault, and I'm doing everything in my power to stop it. Help me. Maybe we can save both of our brothers, all of us, together. What do you have to lose?"

The illusion flickered and I was standing next to Dean again. Gabriel was in a ring of holy fire and Dean was heading towards the door. I looked back at Gabriel but he motioned me on.

His face softened momentarily as he barely whispered, "As you wish."  
.........................................  
The time after that was a blur. It was the end of the world or at least close to it. If I read things right, Gabriel was on our side but I hadn't seen or heard from him since. I was alone at the hotel thinking way too much for my liking. The sheer weight of my thoughts was dizzying so I decided to take a page out of Dean's book. I went to the bar.

I was on my third whiskey when I saw her. She was impossible to miss. She wore a simple green dress that showed off her long legs and had all the guys staring. She tucked a strand of dirty blonde hair behind her ear as she slid onto the barstool beside mine. Her whiskey eyes sparkled with mischief as she ordered us another drink.

"I haven't see you around here before," she winked. "Come here often?"

"Apparently not as often as I should," I chuckled. "Just passing through."

"Then I guess I better not be coy then," she leaned closer with a seductive smile. "There's no time to waste."

For the next few hours, I sat and talked to the stranger. We didn't exchange names or life stories. We just talked, flirted, and did everything else normal non-world-destroying people do. Eventually, we left together.

I felt a strange connection between us. We didn't go right to sleep after. We held each other and talked until my eyes drooped and the world went dark. I hadn't been like that with someone since Jess. I didnt know it was possible. It was even more baffling that it was with a stranger.

As I started to wake up, I nuzzled closer to the body beside me. I fought waking up knowing that it meant time was up. I would have to come back to reality. I felt her place her hand over mine as I held her and groaned slightly at the thought of getting up. I moved slightly and she rolled towards me. The rough scratchy feeling caught me by surprise. Stubble.

"Stop squirming," Gabriel mumbled nestling closer. "I'm not done spooning."

I jumped up so quickly that I hit my head on the headboard with a resounding thud, "What the hell is going on?"

"I just came to flirt for the free drinks. You're the one that invited me back to your place," Gabriel sat up and pulled at his bedhead. "I always go to that bar. Don't believe me? Ask around."

"Then why did you come back with me?" I hissed. "You knew it was me. You came right at me as soon as you walked through the door."

"Sue me. I like you," his eyes blazed. "I wanted to say hi. We hit it off and you asked. We both know why you're mad so just stop."

"Well, since you've spent so much time poking around up there, tell me," I growled. "Why am I so mad, Gabriel?"

"You're not. You're afraid and, ironically enough, afraid to admit it. Look, we both know that I don't die easily. Stop holding back. I'm not going anywhere."

Gabriel stepped forward and pulled me into a comforting embrace before I could protest. He rubbed calming circles on my back and murmured soothing words into my shoulder. I felt myself sinking into his warmth and couldn't find the will or motivation to stop it. I finally gave in and wrapped my arms tightly around his thin frame.

"So you surrender?" He chuckled and his warm breath caressed my neck.

"As you wish," I quoted back falling into his embrace and giving up all control.

"You know what that line means?" Gabriel murmured. "Don't go around making declarations you don't mean."

"I love you."  
........................................  
When Dean and I were lured into the trap, Gabriel was there. The pagans decided that luring in Michael and Lucifer's vessels as bargaining chips was absolutely briliant. Big mistake.

"Sam! Dean... It's always wrong place, worst time with you muttonheads, huh?" Gabriel smiled lightly. A few words later and he had hijacked Dean and me back to our room.

Dean opened his mouth to argue, but I shut him up quickly and turned to Gabriel. "Here's the plan. Stop trying to be heroes for two seconds. Rule 1 don't do anything without an exit plan. Also known as you idiots let Kali get ahold of your blood and now you're screwed...without me."

The plan was simple but it failed. Now we had a deal with Kali to literally summon Satan in exchange for the lives of the hostages. Gabriel was against it. The fake angel blade she had just delivered into his chest wasn't helping either.

"I can't kill my brother." Gabriel finally admitted when Dean wouldn't stop pushing him.

"Can't or won't?" Dean threw back. "That's what I thought."

"Look, I get it," I murmured stepping forward until all he could see from his spot in the backseat was me. "He's a dock but he's your brother. But I don't have a choice. One way or another he's coming for me. I have to do this. It's our best shot."

It was a short time later that Lucifer was barging in murdering everyone in his wake. Mercury had betrayed the others and called the devil in before anyone could prepare. He was the first to die.

"Luci, I'm home," Gabriel called distracting Lucifer. "Guys, get out of here."

I missed most of their conversation as I grabbed Dean and Kali and ran towards the impala. I turned to run back but felt resistance. I shook Dean's hand off my shoulder as he looked at me incredulously. 

"Look, Gabriel gave us a way out. Don't be-" I cut him off sharply. "I will not leave him to die. You don't understand."

"You disloyal-" Lucifer yelled but Gabriel cut across him. "Oh, I'm loyal. To them! Because dad was right. They are better than us."

"They are broken. Flawed! Abortions," Lucifer growled.

"Damn right they're flawed. But a lot of them try. To do better, to forgive. And you should see the Spearmint Rhino! I've been riding the pine a long time. But I'm in the game now, and I'm not on your side, or Michael's. I'm on theirs."

"Brother, don't make me do this," I was surprised by just how human Lucifer looked at that moment.

"No one makes us do anything."

"I know you think you're doing the right thing, Gabriel. But I know where your true heart lies." Lucifer turned to grab the true Gabriel sneaking up on him from behind.

Lucifer had his blade raised ready to end it when I screamed, "Stop! Let him go and I'll give you what you want."

"Get out of here before I kill you myself," Gabriel hissed out in pain. "You're not doing this because of me."

"No one makes us do anything," I quoted back with a smile.

Gabriel smiled slightly. With all of his remaining strength, he broke out of Lucifer' s grip just enough to plunge forward onto the waiting blade. 

Lucifer stood in shock as I ran forward and held Gabriel close to me. He shuddered slightly and tried to push me away. He was too weak.

"I told-I told you to run," he whispered. "Go while he's distracted. I made you a promise. Trust me."

Gabriel rolled out of my grip just as the light faded from his eyes. The outline of a giant pair of wings was scorched into the floor below. I took one last look at his body before sprinting out of the room and straight into the impala's passenger seat.  
...........................................  
Dean didnt understand why I was so upset. I didn't know how to tell him. I couldn't make myself say the words now that he was gone for good. It was too late.

I tried to bury it like every other terrible thing that had happened but it kept breaking through. That's how I ended up at the bar tonight. If I couldn't sleep I might as well drown my sorrows. The amber liquid was the closest thing to magic available. 

Maybe I could forget for just a few hours. It was the end of the world. I couldn't escape my destiny. A few hours is basically an eternity when time is running out.

I was a few whiskeys in when I felt someone standing behind me. I sighed internally. I didn't have the energy to deal with this now. I turned to tell them off but never got the chance. 

Slender hands gripped my shoulders and I felt warm breath against my neck. "Come here often?"

I broke the strong grip and spun around to meet a pair of mischevious whiskey eyes. "You-how?"

"Didn't pay much attention to the hostages, did you?" Female Gabriel smirked. "I told you to run, you idiot. I can handle myself. Do you honestly think I would try something that simple on Lucifer? I'm not stupid."

"I thought you were...dead," I whispered. 

His disguise melted away and Gabriel stood there before me. His eyes were uncharacteristically serious as he leaned forward and met mine. I tried to swallow the lump in my throat.

"If you didn't, Lucifer wouldn't. I'm sorry but it's okay now," his voice was gentle. "I'm here. I promised I didn't break that easy. How about we get out of here? It looks like you could definitely use some sleep and I'm a sucker for spooning."

I just got up from my stool and headed toward the door. I couldn't help the smile slowly creeping onto my face. I could feel Gabriel's presence right behind me and it gave me hope. Maybe the world won't end after all. I'm feeling pretty lucky.


End file.
